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The first ebook of the year is “Joseph Andrews and Shamela” by Henry Fielding
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Kindle #BookLovers #Bookworm #Bibliophile #HenryFielding #1001BooksYouMustReadBeforeYouDie
#currentlyreading
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Three books read so far this year, next up for the ebook is “Taken at the Flood’ by Agatha Christie
#CurrentlyReading #Kindle #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Bibliophile #BookLovers #Bookworm #AgathaChristie #HerculePoirot
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Four books finished so far this year, the next ebook will be "The World According to Garp" by John Irving
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #BookLovers #Bookworm #Bibliophile
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Nine books read so far this year, and my next ebook will be Black Dog by Neil Gaiman to complete the American Gods quartet
#Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #CurrentlyReading #BookLovers #Bookworm #NeilGaiman #AmericanGods #Bibliophile
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Ten books into the year - I feel like I have cheated a bit: Black Dog was more of a short story than a novella, let alone a novel - but The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer will be my next book of 2026.
Although I am a huge fan of Bob’s work, I did find “The Satsuma Complex” a little underwhelming, but I feel the need to give Bob a second chance.
#Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #CurrentlyReading #Booklovers #Bookworm #Bibliophile #BobMortimer #TheHotelAvocado #GaryThorn
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After finishing my 25th book of the year, the next ebook that I will be reading will be After the Funeral by Agatha Christie
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Bibliophile #Booklovers #Bookworm #Ebooks #KindleFire #AgathaChristie #HerculePoirot #AfterTheFuberal
Recently got into researching topics of sensationalism, media blitz, and the utter void when it comes to critiquing a state of grotesque and utter absurdism.
Currently on "Prophets of Deceit - A Study of the Techniques
of the American Agitator" by Leo Lowenthal and Norbert Guternman. Released in 1949 but, so far, incredibly on the nose for current day factions in power. *points to the obvious*
From pg 13 on Social Malaise:
"EMOTIONAL SUBSTRATUM
This list of diffuse complaints could be lengthened indefinitely; it
should be sufficient to indicate that the grievances the agitator voices do
not refer to any clearly delineated material or moral condition. The only
constant elements discernible in this mass of grievances are references to
certain emotions or emotional complexes. These may be roughly divided
as follows :
Distrust: The agitator plays on his audience's suspicions of all social
phenomena impinging on its life in ways it does not understand. Foreign
refugees cash in on the "gullibility" of Americans, whom he warns not to
be "duped" by internationalists. Strewn through the output of the agitator
are such words as hoax, corrupt, insincere, duped, manipulate.
Dependence: The agitator seems to assume that he is addressing people
who suffer from a sense of helplessness and passivity. He plays on the
ambivalent nature of this complex which on the one hand reflects a
protest against manipulation and on the other hand a wish to be protected,
to belong to a strong organization or be led by a strong leader.
Exclusion: The agitator suggests that there is an abundance of material
and spiritual goods, but that the people do not get what they are entitled
to. The American taxpayer's money is used to help everyone but himself
-"we feed foreigners,"16 the agitator complains, while we neglect our
own millions of unemployed.
Anxiety: This complex manifests itself in a general premonition of disasters
to come, a prominent part of which seems to be the middle-class
fear of a dislocation of its life by revolutionary action, and its suspicion
that the moral mainstays of social life are being undermined. The agitator
speaks of "the darkest hour in American history"17 and graphically describes
a pervasive sense of fear and insecurity:
This afternoon America is caught in the throes of fear, apprehension and
concern. Men are afraid . . . to vote, afraid not to vote . . . Our population
has been caught by the ague and chills of uncertainty. Unless these uncertainties
can be removed, unless these fears can be destroyed, we shall never
have prosperity again.18
Disillusionment: This complex is seen in such remarks as the agitator's
characterization of politics as "make-believe, pretense, pretext, sham,
fraud, deception, dishonesty, falsehood, hypocrisy . . . . "19 In fact, "whenever
a legislative body meets, liberties of the people are endangered by
subtle and active interests."20 Ideological slogans inspire resentment:
"Democracy A Misnomer, A Trick Word Used by Jew and Communistic
Internationalists to Confuse and Befuddle American Citizens. . . .''21
Values and ideals are enemy weapons, covering up the machinations of
sinister powers which, "taking advantage of the mass ignorance of our
people, accomplish their purposes under the cloak of humanitarianism
and justice.''"
If you want to read it as well, here's a free copy I found using duckduckgo:
https://files.libcom.org/files/Leo%20Lo_wenthal%20and%20Norbert%20Guterman%20-%20Prophets%20of%20Deceit%20-%20A%20Study%20of%20the%20Techniques%20of%20the%20American%20Agitator%20(1949).pdf
#uspol #usa #politics #history #books #currentlyreading
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#CurrentlyReading
La rébellion est-elle passée à droite ? - Pablo Stefanoni (Original: ¿La rebeldía se volvió de derecha?)
"Les " nouvelles droites " sont à l'offensive un peu partout dans le monde, adoptant un langage, des références et des modes d'action inédits qui fabriquent une contre-culture violente et tapageuse. Elles combinent désormais nationalisme et humeurs antiétatiques, racisme et sexisme et clins d'œil à la communauté LGBTQ, climatoscepticisme et préoccupations écologistes."
Quote by philosopher #AgnesCallard talking, in part, about the internet's tendency toward negativity:
"… goodness is more context-dependent than badness. There isn’t really anything that’s good all the time for everyone independent of context. There isn’t anything that will always make a person happy. But there are reliable ways to make people unhappy.
"… we should predict that what we see on the internet, insofar as people are trying to be legible to large groups, is that they focus their attention on things that show up to everyone. Take two strangers on the internet trying to talk to each other. What are they going to coordinate on as a topic they can both care about? It’s likely going to be something bad."
https://www.derekthompson.org/p/a-philosophers-one-word-theory-to
#Philosophy #CurrentlyReading
I'm currently reading "Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World" by John Vaillant. Published in 2023.
This is the second book I'm reading about wildfires.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61966364
#books #CurrentlyReading
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I have just realised that I finished book number 33 on the train from Norwich, but didn’t make a post here to show what my next book of the year would be, this was due to an overhead power line failure in the Colchester area
#Goodreads #Readingchallenge #CurrentlyReading #Bibliophile #Booklovers #Bookworm #AlreadyFinished #AMessageFromUkraine #VolodymyrZelensky
Book 37 has been completed, so it’s onwards and upwards for my next reading journey
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Bibliophile #Booklovers #Bookworm #CautionaryTalesForGrownUps #ChrisAddison #Poetry
I bought two different books on writing poetry, with prompts to get you started.
Unfortunately, one of the books while encouraging you to "write deeply" the author also at many times criticises all the ways you can fall into "trite" and/or "workshop standard" poetry and how absolutely awful it is - as a way to try to convince you why it needs to be deep. Almost setting up rules to follow and expectations for qualities, or you'll inevitably be an unworthy poet (my interpretation of the introduction.) What a way to discourage people from even trying.
Write that trite poem and play around with it, go to that poetry or writing workshop, enjoy the community. Express yourself.
And yeah unfortunately that book is going to go straight into the next donation pile. I'll see what the other one brings for ideas.
#writing #poetry #opinions #currentlyReading
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After finishing my 32nd book of the year, my next ebook will Joe Hill: The IWW & the Making of a Revolutionary Working Class Counterculture by Franklin Rosemont
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Bibliophile #Booklovers #Bookworm #Kindle #ebook #JoeHill #IWW #Wobbly #Wobblies #DontMournOrganise #Socialism #Socialist #TradeUnions
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I have now read 29 books this year, and my next ebook will be Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus.
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Bibliophile #Bookworm #Booklovers #eBook #Kindle #MemoirsOfMartinusScriblerus #1001BooksYouMustReadBeforeYouDie
After finishing my 23rd book of the year, my quest to reread all of the James Bond novels - and buy the new editions to replace my tatty old secondhand copies - continues with John Gardner’s second contribution to the series.
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Booklovers #Bookworm #Bibliophile #JohnGardner #JamesBond #JamesBond007 #ForSpecialServices #BondJamesBond
After completing my twentieth book of the year, I have decided to reread this in light of the recent passing of Rob Grant
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Bibliophile #Booklovers #Bookworm #RobGrant #Incompetence #AdAstraRob
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Nineteen books into the year so far and it’s time for one of those books that you have to read because people that read books tell you that you have to read this book! My next download onto my Kindle (other ebook readers are available) is going to be Crime and Punishment
#CurrentlyReading #Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #Bibliophile #Booklovers #Bookworm #Kindle #KindleFire #CrimeAndPunishment #FyodorDostoevsky #1001BooksYouMustReadBeforeYouDie
Fifteen books read already this year, so this becomes the next escapee from that teetering tower that is my to be read pile! (Actually, they’re safely stored in several carrier bags)
#Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #CurrentlyReading #Bibliophile #Booklovers #Bookworm #TBRpile #BernieSanders #FightOligarchy #Socialism #Socialist
I have read fourteen books so far this year, and next up is something a bit different, except that I have read quite a few books about the sex industry in general, but erotic/exotic dancing and striptease specifically
#Goodreads #ReadingChallenge #CurrentlyReading #Bibliophile #Booklovers #Bookworm #TimKeefe #SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreNaked #SexIndustry #SexWork #SexWorkIsWork